Procycling brings you the colour, action and drama of the world's most spectacular sport in a glossy and dynamic magazine. It's the authoritative, worldwide voice of international professional road racing, distributed in every country where there are English-speaking fans. With exclusive features and spectacular photography, Procycling brings to life the complexities, rivalries and hardships of the European professional scene.

Cycling Plus is the manual for the modern road cyclist. Whether you're cycling weekly, an occasional new rider or a Tour de France fan you’ll find everything you need. Every issue is packed with expert reviews of the latest road bikes and gear, inspirational routes and rides, evocative features that take you inside every aspect of cycling and unmatched nutrition, fitness and training advice.

What Mountain Bike is the magazine that gets to the heart of what matters in mountain biking. Whether it’s new bikes, fresh kit, inspiring photography or the low down on the latest trail developments, What Mountain Bike has something for every rider. Our team cuts through jargon and marketing spin to tell you what you need to know, with honest, informed opinions and a wealth of experience.

Mountain Biking UK celebrates everything that is great about mountain biking, enabling people of all abilities and ages to have a better time on their bike. MBUK brings you all the latest news, coolest kit, plus exclusive info on the newest and best bikes that you can buy.

Scott augments its current Project F01 paint scheme for Cav's machine, retaining the red tube surfaces to show the hacked-off airfoil sections but dressing them up in Cav's requested "ninjas and blood" motif.

(James Huang/BikeRadar.com)

We asked team equipment manager Hermann Pacal just to be sure - yup, that's supposed to be blood spatter.

(James Huang/BikeRadar.com)

We're not sure whose blood this Japanese samurai is shedding - but it's an undeniably violent scene.

(James Huang/BikeRadar.com)

Further down towards the bottom bracket, it's a much more pleasant scene.

(James Huang/BikeRadar.com)

Scott uses a tapered 1 1/8"-to-1 1/4" front end for its new Project F01.

(James Huang/BikeRadar.com)

Given the big 'Cavendish' on the top tube, we're thinking the sticker on the seatpost is a bit superfluous. Check out the neatly integrated seatpost binder.

(James Huang/BikeRadar.com)

Feel free to correct us if this is wrong, but we were told these characters roughly translate to 'samurai wolf'.

HTC-Columbia has a variety of wheels (both make and model) available to use but here Cavendish's bike features Zipp 404 rims.

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

Steel and titanium cogs are fitted to the Shimano Dura-Ace rear hub.

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

Team mechanics glued a speed magnet to the rim, requiring the sensor to be mounted way up high.

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

Believe it or not, HTC-Columbia riders are carrying complete HTD Legend phones with them during the entire Tour de France as part of a project with SRM and Google to transmit and upload real-time data - including speed, heart rate, power output, and even position via GPS. Follow the riders during the stage at www.highroadsports.com.

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

Google's own web page includes an elevation profile at the bottom of the screen.

(Screen shot)

You can also pan around on the map as you normally would with Google Maps to get an idea of where the stage is situated overall.

(Screen shot)

The team's real-time information is available on several sites, including Google, SRM, and HTC's own as seen here.

(Screen shot)

The snapshot view provides the location of all of the riders, their current speeds, and a map view of your choosing with the usual Google Maps options.

(Screen shot)

Wondering what Mick Rogers is doing at the moment? Check it out here.

(Screen shot)

What's the order of the HTC riders in the bunch? The GPS resolution is fine enough to discern that, too.

Scott augments its current Project F01 paint scheme for Cav's machine, retaining the red tube surfaces to show the hacked-off airfoil sections but dressing them up in Cav's requested "ninjas and blood" motif.

(James Huang/BikeRadar.com)

We asked team equipment manager Hermann Pacal just to be sure - yup, that's supposed to be blood spatter.

(James Huang/BikeRadar.com)

We're not sure whose blood this Japanese samurai is shedding - but it's an undeniably violent scene.

(James Huang/BikeRadar.com)

Further down towards the bottom bracket, it's a much more pleasant scene.

(James Huang/BikeRadar.com)

Scott uses a tapered 1 1/8"-to-1 1/4" front end for its new Project F01.

(James Huang/BikeRadar.com)

Given the big 'Cavendish' on the top tube, we're thinking the sticker on the seatpost is a bit superfluous. Check out the neatly integrated seatpost binder.

(James Huang/BikeRadar.com)

Feel free to correct us if this is wrong, but we were told these characters roughly translate to 'samurai wolf'.

HTC-Columbia has a variety of wheels (both make and model) available to use but here Cavendish's bike features Zipp 404 rims.

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

Steel and titanium cogs are fitted to the Shimano Dura-Ace rear hub.

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

Team mechanics glued a speed magnet to the rim, requiring the sensor to be mounted way up high.

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

Believe it or not, HTC-Columbia riders are carrying complete HTD Legend phones with them during the entire Tour de France as part of a project with SRM and Google to transmit and upload real-time data - including speed, heart rate, power output, and even position via GPS. Follow the riders during the stage at www.highroadsports.com.

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

Google's own web page includes an elevation profile at the bottom of the screen.

(Screen shot)

You can also pan around on the map as you normally would with Google Maps to get an idea of where the stage is situated overall.

(Screen shot)

The team's real-time information is available on several sites, including Google, SRM, and HTC's own as seen here.

(Screen shot)

The snapshot view provides the location of all of the riders, their current speeds, and a map view of your choosing with the usual Google Maps options.

(Screen shot)

Wondering what Mick Rogers is doing at the moment? Check it out here.

(Screen shot)

What's the order of the HTC riders in the bunch? The GPS resolution is fine enough to discern that, too.

HTC team staff told us that Cavendish initially wanted "a ninja theme and requested a chrome bike to look like the blade of a sword – and perhaps a few drops of blood and sword slashes." Scott designers did a good job of lending a more civilized feel by drawing on some classic Japanese artwork. While the standard team issue rig's paint layout is generally retained with contrasting colour panels to highlight the chopped-off aero profiles, Cav definitely got what he wanted.

As requested, the custom graphics include a sword-wielding samurai contrasted with an idyllic landscape – and lots and lots of blood spatter.

The build kit hasn't changed much from the star sprinter's previous Addict, with a Shimano Dura-Ace mechanical group and pedals, SRM-equipped crankset, fi'zi:k Arione CX Carbon Braided saddle, Elite cages, and AceCo's increasingly popular K-Edge chain watcher – the latter even custom etched just for Cavendish. Pictured here are Zipp 404 carbon tubular rims laced to Shimano Dura-Ace hubs with Sapim CX-Ray spokes, but HTC-Columbia typically has an unusually broad range of wheels at its disposal that also includes Shimano and HED.

Blood!

Ouch!

Cavendish's custom Pro stem

Cavendish even gets his own signature line of cockpit components from PRO as well. His burly Vibe Sprint carbon stem – painted to match, of course – is similar to the blocky PRO model he's used in previous seasons and the corresponding Vibe Sprint bar is specially built for an extra-stout feel during rushes to the line.

Bar width remains the same as last year but stem length has gone up a tad to 135mm – saddle position has also slid forward but by a more substantial 15mm. In total, this now puts Cavendish further over the front of the bike than before but total reach has dropped 10mm so he's more compact than before, too.

The HTC-Legend phone is stored here

One new equipment addition this year has no significant effect on his Cav's on-bike performance but does make it easier for staff (and the public) to see what he's doing at any given moment – at least when he's riding, that is.

The team recently unveiled a project undertaken with sponsor HTC (a major mobile phone manufacturer) and internet giant Google. Riders carry HTC Legend mobile phones with them during each stage (housed in a small bag beneath the saddle and weighing under 200g in total) and they're paired with each rider's SRM power meters and speed sensors via the ANT+ wireless protocol.

Assuming the riders are within range of a cell tower, this lets team staff track each rider's speed, cadence, power output, heart rate, and even exact position via the phone's on-board GPS in real time – thus aiding the team's ability to make tactical decisions while also providing a better snapshot of each rider's condition.

"This project is a great opportunity for HTC, Google/Android and Highroad to prove a concept," said Google product manager Dylan Casey. "This project illustrates the power of the Android platform and its use of open standards like ANT+, and when coupled with applications like My Tracks, demonstrates what's possible.

"We're also excited about giving users access to data and in this case bringing live telemetry and GPS location data to users, developers and broadcasters," he continued. "The Tour de France is truly a global event and by enhancing the experience of being a fan we hope that the popularity of the race, and most importantly the teams and riders, will increase."